Northwest String Summit at Horning’s Hideout

Northwest String Summit 2008 by B. Ball

Returning to Horning’s Hideout for the 8th year running, the Northwest String Summit has established itself as one of the few festivals to remain at this unique and beautiful venue, 20 miles west of Portland, Oregon. Fans can spend a weekend at Horning’s Hideout simply to bask in a living green world of rainforest and rivers, adding the playful verve of bluegrass music to the 300-acre peacock farm creates a weekend that offers rejuvenation to city eyes, reminding them of the smell of sunrise before morning traffic; the weight of air after lightning storms. Yonder Mountain String Band, headlining two full sets each night with special guest Danny Barnes, invites a troupe of fresh talent, melding the bluegrass genre into new shapes, as well as classic musicians, like the Del McCoury Band, that laid the foundation for the music now being stretched over a larger canvas.

Each year YMSB leads the exploration, expanding the bounds their unique breed of American roots music can seep into and still be labeled, “Bluegrass.” Drawing from a full spectrum of musical influences, they delve into rocked out, acoustic, collaborative performances of traditional instruments and old-timey origins tossed to a bedlam of improvised monster jams: whole songs swallowed, classic bluegrass threads and musical lines devoured, in the framework of something entirely new where music is King, the strings its army, and that’s all the labeling necessary.

This year will host music on Thursday night for the first time with Pete Kartsounes & Friends playing for early-bird arrivals anxious to jumpstart the 3-Day festivities. The String Summit officially begins Friday afternoon, July 17, with a band competition for newcomers vying to earn a slot in the 2010 lineup. Darol Anger, who’s been the unofficial fifth member of YMSB at the festival in past years, returns on the fiddle playing in Strings For Industry, as well as with Sweden’s premier acoustic trio, Väsen. Mike Marshall will be playing as a guest with them as well. A cast of other return performers from years past include: Tye North, Scott Law, Bryn Davies, Sharon Gilchrest, Benny “Burle” Galloway, Greensky Bluegrass and more, mixing on stage in new and old amalgams of musical creations. All of the performances contributing a symphony of strings to the barreling momentum of YMSB building music over a weekend to play the wind through the trees, carrying the blue air of feet stomping, heart-palpating, skirt-liftin’ music between cracks of Horning’s Hideout’s lush green landscape to play each leaf and blade of grass, with a little color.

Discounted tickets are still available up to July 16 with additional multi-ticket discounts available on the day of the festival. Visit the website: www.stringsummit.com for more information.

NWSS Schedule

Friday, July 17
Band Competition 4:45-5:45pm
Greensky Bluegrass 6:00-7:15pm
Bad Livers 7:45-9:30pm
Yonder Mountain String Band w/ Danny Barnes 10:00-1:00am

Saturday, July 18
Jessica Kilroy with Head for the Hills 11:30-12:15pm
Taarka 12:30-1:30pm
P. Whipped (Bryn Davies, Sharon Gilchrist & Megan McCormick) 1:45-2:45pm
Infamous Stringdusters 3:00-4:15pm
Kid’s Parade Meet at kid’s tent by 4:15pm

Mike Marshall & Darol Anger w/ Väsen 4:45-6:00pm
Del McCoury and the Traveling McCourys 6:30-8:00pm
Yonder Mountain String Band w/ Danny Barnes 8:15-11:15pm
Strings for Industry (LATENIGHT) 11:45-1:00am

Sunday, July 19
2009 Band Competition Winner 11:00-11:45am
Hickster 12:00-1:00pm
Abalone Dots 1:15-2:30pm
String Summit Superjam
(hosted by Danny Barnes & Rob & Ronnie McCoury) 2:45-4:00pm
Yonder Mountain String Band 4:30-7:30pm

Check our coverage of NWSS 2008 here.